Observing Rhetoric in the Everyday...

In considering the way marketing works in the everyday space of our lives to move us toward more consumption, I realized that I couldn’t think of a single thing that isn’t marketed, not to mention heavily segmented. A quick trip to the grocery chain Safeway drove this point home even more, as I realized even commodities like water and eggs are no match for the world of marketing. I believe this is because we as consumers demand to have choices, but then don’t necessarily know what to do with them once they are given to us. In researching the topic further, I found an article written by Sabah Karimi entitled, “7 Deceptive Marketing Tactics You Are Falling For at the Grocery Store.” She asserts that, “Grocery stores are just one of the ‘Mecca’s’ of mass marketing, a warehouse of opportunity for branding and advertising giants to capture those sales and to entice you to spend, spend, spend.” With regards to the Safeway I visited, everything in the store seemed to promote consumption, from the layout of the store to the brightly tagged daily “Managers Specials.” Immediately upon walking in, I was greeted by the bakery and all the deliciousness that a bakery entails. Baguettes which are guaranteed to be warm at 5 p.m. daily were of no interest to me, but to my left, carts were racing towards them like they were free. Over in the produce section, samples were waiting for customers who couldn’t be swayed merely by the display of pomegranates. Neatly lined up salad dressings made choosing just one hard, so I ended up with two. This, as I experienced it is the paradox of choice. Not to mention, the “sales” are hardly much of a sale. For instance, a pyramid of Bounty paper towels engulfing an end cap promised customer’s great savings. What customer’s usually fail to realize is that the sale is really only saving you $0.50, and that the in-house brand, which probably works about the same, is regularly priced $4.50 less than Bounty to begin with. There were even persuasive appeals in the check-out lines. Soft drinks, gum, candy, magazines, newspapers, small gadgets, you name it, it’s for sale and at eye level with you while you are tiredly waiting in a slow-moving line watching everybody and their brother dig for coupons. “I just came in for a few basics” lamented the woman in front of me, “And now look! My cart is full!” Indeed it was. I asked her if she usually shops with a list, and she admitted that while she does jot things down, she usually puts whatever looks “interesting” in her cart along the way. A marketer’s true delight, these types of customers are their bread and butter, and thankfully, many shop the same way she does. Me, I’m more of a list person, just because otherwise I end up with a cartful of groceries that will spoil before I ever get a chance to eat them.